German Pavilion exemplifies energy efficiency and environmental protection

Germany, which hosted the 2000 Hannover World Expo, attaches great importance to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and it will construct two pavilions at the Shanghai Expo.

German Pavilion

"Balancity" stays close to the Expo's theme

Marion Conrady, an official from the German company Koelnmesse and press spokeswoman for the German Pavilion, told reporters that Germany places more importance to the Shanghai World Expo than other expos it has ever attended. The name of the German Pavilion "Balancity" is composed of two English words: "balance" and "city." "The name of the pavilion sticks to the theme of Shanghai World Expo: better city, better life," said Conrady.

Koelnmesse was entrusted by the German government to construct the German Pavilion. The pavilion held a roof-sealing ceremony in the summer of 2009. Between the end of January and the beginning of February 2010, Koelnmesse will organize special personnel to work in the pavilion to train over 200 narrators for the exhibition in May 2010.

The German Pavilion covers an area of 6000 square meters and is composed of four irregular structures. Each seems unstable at first glance but when taken as a whole, the four structures supplement each other and present flexibility and gracefulness. All the exhibition halls have their own focus and visitors can pay a visit to the different halls: the work and leisure areas as well as the living and recreational areas are excellently implemented. Among them, the "Invention Archive" will display 200 exhibits from over 100 companies, which proved that Germany is a country with no shortage of inventions. Conrady said that the archive could be called a 'miraculous box' or a 'treasure chest.'"

The most attractive place in the German Pavilion is a metal ball located in the "the source of power" exhibition hall. The giant ball was developed by University of Stuttgart and other institutions and has a diameter of 3 meters and weighs 1.2 tons. 400,000 light-emitting diodes are installed on its exterior and a unique propulsion device can respond to outside noises. If hundreds of visitors shout simultaneously, the device will violently swing and brilliant images in Germany and regions all over the world will be seen in the hall, representing the uncommon vitality of urban life.

The German government invested up to 30 million euros to construct the pavilion. The German President Koehler will personally attend "German Pavilion Day" on May 19, 2010. During the Expo, the German government and all its federal states will hold hundreds of activities and at the same time, the number of visitors from Germany will also significantly increase. Conrady revealed that the North Rhine-Westphalia Architects Association alone will organize a visit to Shanghai for nearly a thousand architects.